1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to household furniture and, more specifically, to a furniture item that can be converted from a plurality of individually-functioning ottomans to a combined coffee-type table/ottoman and method therefor.
2. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Ottomans and coffee tables are typical features of the modern living room. Of course, the ottoman is useful as a support for the feet and legs of a person sitting in close proximity thereto. The coffee table, on the other hand, may be used to hold decorative objects or food and drinks. It is noted herein, as is known to those skilled in the art, that even though the term coffee table is used throughout this application, coffee tables also serve as and are interchangeable with end tables, snack tables, etc. which may be located in front of or to the side of a user. Generally, a person decorating a living room must decide whether to position, directly in front of a chair or couch, an ottoman or a coffee table. It is not typically possible to place both directly in front of a user--requiring a person desiring to make both types of furniture available to arrange an ottoman in front of the chair or couch and a table to the side.
There has been at least one effort to address this situation. U.S. Pat. No. 5,597,199, issued to Hoffman, discloses a table that is retractably housed within an ottoman. Although this allows the positioning of a single piece of furniture in front of a chair having both table and ottoman aspects, the apparatus of Hoffman may not be simultaneously used as both an ottoman and a table. Instead, in one configuration it is an ottoman and, in another, it is a table. Moreover, it is only configured to service a single user.
Therefore, a need existed to provide a combination coffee table and ottoman capable of being simultaneously used as both a coffee table and as an ottoman. The combination coffee table and ottoman should, preferably, be capable of serving more than one user. The combination coffee table and ottoman should also, preferably, be configured so that its individual components can be attractively deployed as separate coffee table/ottomans, or joined together in one aesthetically pleasing combination coffee table/ottoman.